My opinion editorial is still a work in process. Coming into the assignment, I thought that I would be able to get away with the one draft scheme that I generally could do in High School. But looking at my rough draft, I realize that there are still several things that I would like to change or improve before I hand in a final draft and call it my best work.
Coming up with the idea for the assignment was the easy part. I really wanted to write against the BCS, and my opinions and ideas are not new ones. These are ideas that I have had for several years now. I guess the lesson learned there is that it is tough to play devil's advocate in an opinion editorial. One has to write about something that they really believe in. I really believe that the BCS should be changed, so arguing it, for me, is not difficult.
As easy as arguing it might be, putting it into a well-organized format was a different story. I found that organizing my ideas was a necessary evil of sorts. As much as I wanted to just start writing and let the ideas flow, I found it pretty much ineffective to do so. I could do that of course, and I did try it, but was unhappy with the way it originally came out.
Once the final draft came out, it was time for the peer review. I was surprised at how helpful the peer review was. I really needed that! Not only nice was it to have others judge my paper, but I found that as I heard them critique my paper, I also became my own critic finding things that had not bothered me yet, but that need desperately to be changed. I came out of the peer review thinking, "thank heavens that I have more time to change this draft."
I am still looking forward to getting more peer reviews so to speak. I meet with Mr. Keeley on Monday and will be looking forward to hearing any advice that he has to give. I also think that I will spend a little time in the writing center next week so that I can get any additional help necessary to make a good opinion editorial.
There is a lot to be learned from my first writing assignment in college. I guess lesson number one that I've learned is that High School writing assignments are a thing of the past. I can't get away with a one draft final product anymore. The standard of writing has been raised. Unlike the past, I need to buckle down if I want a good final product. This is different from my past experiences. In high school, I could round off a rough/final draft in 30 minutes and it would be worthy of an A. However, the process has not changed in that my first draft simply is not as good as the final draft will be. I never regretted writing multiple drafts if and when I did in high school, and I imagine this will be the same way. I must make this very clear. I want an A out of this assignment. But I realize that this requires a little more work than it has in the past. But the bottom line is that I do want to do that work and I will get my best work out before Wednesday of next week.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Ty Haslem's Opinion Editorial
The title of my Opinion Editorial is going to be "BCS remains BYU's most difficult opponent." The subject of this opinion editorial is largely anti-BCS. I plan to argue that college football's Bowl Championship Series is an unfair system that robs smaller football schools of the same opportunities as those schools with more prominent prestige to their programs. In this case, I will be arguing specifically that BYU's football team does not have as fair a chance at a high paying BCS bowl game as other "BCS conference schools" such as Ohio State, Georgia and other prestigious football programs.
Any BYU fans or BCS haters could fall in line with my audience, but I aim this opinion editorial more at the public who would be willing to make some noise in the college football world and call for a new play-off system, namely a tournament, much like that seen in college basketball.
The timing for this editorial is right because as it is now, BYU is kind of on the national bubble as a potential "BCS buster," or in other words, a small team getting unusual national attention as a legitimate contender in college football. However, the season is early and not much noise has been made yet, but this will become more nationally recognized as the season draws nearer to the end if BYU remains undefeated. However, the argument could, and should, be made that BYU should be considered one of the top teams in college football right now and should be grouped together with the elite teams. But that opportunity is largely denied of them because of the unfair system of the BCS.
In organizing this argument, I plan to make several different points, all pointing to flaws in the BCS. I will start my argument by simply revealing the facts of the BCS system to my audience. I will show them that only conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, ACC and other bigger conferences have at least one team playing in high paying BCS bowl games every year. This is because their champions are guaranteed that game because of contracts signed between those respective conferences and the BCS. These contracts are contracts that BYU's mountain west conference does not have, and probably never will have.
The second argument will be that the BCS is unfair in a financial sense. This issue has gone as far as the US Congress to decide if smaller schools, such as BYU aren't being alienated from this system, and thus, cheated out of millions of dollars annually. And thus, bigger schools get bigger pay-days, which leads only to greater opportunities to recruit better players. One thing leads to another and the rich get richer and the poor remain poor, not only in a football sense, but in a literal financial sense as well.
Thirdly, I will argue that in many cases, The BCS cannot consistently give the best teams in the nation a chance to play for the championship. I will refer to the "BCS busting" Utah Utes of 2004, who ended their season undefeated and largely unchallenged by any of their opponents, yet did not receive even a chance to play for the national championship. In fact, USC was robbed that same year of a chance to play for a legitimate BCS title and the controversy insued. Many did not acknowledge LSU as the "real" national champions. And others accepted them as so. But in the end, no peace was found amongst the football world.
Finally, I will argue that a tournament of the top 8 ranked teams in the country, aside from being more fair, will be more accepted in the football community, and more fair to schools, such as BYU.
Obviously, I will add more facts and research to the paper, but that is the general idea of what my argument is and how I'll go about making it.
Any BYU fans or BCS haters could fall in line with my audience, but I aim this opinion editorial more at the public who would be willing to make some noise in the college football world and call for a new play-off system, namely a tournament, much like that seen in college basketball.
The timing for this editorial is right because as it is now, BYU is kind of on the national bubble as a potential "BCS buster," or in other words, a small team getting unusual national attention as a legitimate contender in college football. However, the season is early and not much noise has been made yet, but this will become more nationally recognized as the season draws nearer to the end if BYU remains undefeated. However, the argument could, and should, be made that BYU should be considered one of the top teams in college football right now and should be grouped together with the elite teams. But that opportunity is largely denied of them because of the unfair system of the BCS.
In organizing this argument, I plan to make several different points, all pointing to flaws in the BCS. I will start my argument by simply revealing the facts of the BCS system to my audience. I will show them that only conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, ACC and other bigger conferences have at least one team playing in high paying BCS bowl games every year. This is because their champions are guaranteed that game because of contracts signed between those respective conferences and the BCS. These contracts are contracts that BYU's mountain west conference does not have, and probably never will have.
The second argument will be that the BCS is unfair in a financial sense. This issue has gone as far as the US Congress to decide if smaller schools, such as BYU aren't being alienated from this system, and thus, cheated out of millions of dollars annually. And thus, bigger schools get bigger pay-days, which leads only to greater opportunities to recruit better players. One thing leads to another and the rich get richer and the poor remain poor, not only in a football sense, but in a literal financial sense as well.
Thirdly, I will argue that in many cases, The BCS cannot consistently give the best teams in the nation a chance to play for the championship. I will refer to the "BCS busting" Utah Utes of 2004, who ended their season undefeated and largely unchallenged by any of their opponents, yet did not receive even a chance to play for the national championship. In fact, USC was robbed that same year of a chance to play for a legitimate BCS title and the controversy insued. Many did not acknowledge LSU as the "real" national champions. And others accepted them as so. But in the end, no peace was found amongst the football world.
Finally, I will argue that a tournament of the top 8 ranked teams in the country, aside from being more fair, will be more accepted in the football community, and more fair to schools, such as BYU.
Obviously, I will add more facts and research to the paper, but that is the general idea of what my argument is and how I'll go about making it.
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